The issue being addressed in this project is to exploit the hitherto untapped fungal organisms from different continents, study their biodiversity using state of the art technologies such as genomic, bioinformatics and analytical chemistry for beneficial and detrimental properties. Our consortium forms an international, interdisciplinary network composed of globally leading scientists in the above fields, which appears ideal to train the young generation of scientists, in order to tackle important challenges that are related to the aforementioned topics.
Due to big threat that is being posed by the worldwide increasing antimicrobial resistance, there is a great need for novel anti-infectives. Exemplified by penicillin, fungal metabolites have often been used as starting points for the development of new drugs.
Certain fungi can be developed into biological control agents that may replace hazardous agrochemicals and thereby contribute to a more sustainable agriculture. On the other hand, fungi also produce detrimental compounds like mycotoxins that are highly problematic because they accumulate in food and feeds. Our project is aimed at training of early stage researchers so they can characterize the respective organisms and monitor production of their metabolites.
Our work program also includes various interactions with local mycological associations in which we are conduction joint fieldwork and various dissemination activities that are also targeting the citizen scientists and the public.
The main objectives of this project can be summarized as follows
1. Establish a polythetic taxonomy of selected groups of Ascomycota (Hypocreales, Xylariales, Agaricomycetes)
2. Discovery of novel anti-infective secondary metabolites from fungi; in-depth biological characterization and development of sustainable processes for production of selected compounds
3. Studies on the production of mycotoxins and other secondary metabolites in the important ascomycete genera Fusarium (important pathogens!) and Trichoderma (important biocontrol agents and industrial enzyme producers)
4. Identification of biosynthesis gene clusters (BGC) encoding for secondary metabolites in all the above fungal groups
5. Functional analysis of the BGC and studies of their role in chemical ecology with respect to the potential of the producer organisms as biocontrol agents.
6. Demonstration of the respective techniques through secondments and training of young mycologists
7. Make the results of the work program available to a broad international audience, including various groups of stakeholders as well as the general public
The ER and ESR from EU countries are receiving training in methods and techniques that are not available in their home institutes. The consortium has access to genetic resources including endemic African and Asian fungi that are not available in the EU territory, and any result that leads to the development of a product will become the subject of joint exploitation by the project partners.
